How to Become a Freelance Blogger: A Guide for Aspiring Writers

Are you a freelance writer looking for new opportunities? Or maybe you’re considering becoming a freelance blogger? Either way, there are many benefits to freelance blogging. For one, freelance writing jobs generally offer more flexibility than traditional writing gigs. You can often set your own hours and work from home, which can be a great perk for writers who crave flexibility and freedom.

Additionally, freelance blogging can be a great way to build your portfolio and showcase your skills to potential clients. And because articles tend to be shorter than traditional blog posts, they can be less time-consuming to write, giving you the opportunity to take on more projects and earn more money.

Whether you’re already a freelance writer or you’re considering becoming one, freelance blogging is definitely worth exploring. Therefore, I’d love to put together a quick guide on how to become a freelance blogger. Here are the steps you’ll need to take:

Choose Your Niche

The first step to becoming a successful freelance blogger is to choose your niche. Your niche will serve as the foundation for your freelance blogging business, so it’s important to choose something you’re passionate about and have a good understanding of. You can start by answering those questions:

• What topics do you enjoy writing about (i.e. travel, lifestyle, health & wellness, etc.)?
• Which format do you prefer (i.e. listicles, how-to guides, interviews, etc.)?
• How about your tone of voice? (i.e. serious, funny, irreverent, etc.)

Once you’ve answered these questions, it’ll be much easier to find blogging opportunities that match your interests and skills.

When I first started out as a freelancer blogger on Upwork, I knew that I’d love to write travel and lifestyle blog posts (for other bloggers, for example) but I didn’t want to limit myself to those topics alone. Therefore, my niche eventually became “travel and lifestyle blog writing for creative entrepreneurs.” It’s a niche that I’m passionate about because it allows me to write about two of my favorite things (travel and lifestyle) while also helping other creative entrepreneurs grow their businesses.

Research Potential Clients

If you’re new to freelancing, then the process of finding clients can seem a bit daunting. You have no idea where to start or how to even find potential clients who would be interested in your services.

One of the best ways to find potential clients is by using Google and other search engines. Simply type in keywords related to your niche (for example “freelance travel bloggers”) and see what pops up. You can also try looking for relevant Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups.

Another great way to find potential clients is by using freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour. These platforms allow you to browse through thousands of different job postings, many of which are looking for freelance writers/bloggers.

Scrolling through these platforms and JDs will give you a good idea of the type of clients that are out there and what they’re looking for. For example, some clients might want bloggers who can write about a specific destination, while others might be open to writers from all over the world.

Knowing who your ideal clients can be will also help you create a relevant portfolio and an appealing pitch (which we’ll talk about later). Let’s say your clients are companies, then you’ll want to focus on writing blog posts that are SEO-friendly and informative. On the other hand, if your clients are other bloggers, then you might want to focus on writing blog posts that are more personal and relatable.

Research Your Competition

Once you’ve chosen your niche, it’s time to research your competition. This will help you understand what type of services they are offering, what their rates are, which skills you should add to your portfolio, and so on.

When researching your competition, take a look at their blog posts and see what topics they’re writing about. Are they writing about the same thing as you? If so, how can you make your content different? What unique perspective can you offer? The point is, you want to make sure that your content stands out from the rest.

Additionally, take a look at their portfolios and see what type of services they’re offering. What are their rates? How much experience do they have? Do they have any testimonials or reviews? Once again, you want to make sure that your services are different (and better) than your competition. Think about what you can offer that they can’t and use that to your advantage. For example, if you’re a travel blogger who specializes in writing about budget-friendly destinations, then you can use that to your advantage when pitching to clients.

Finally, research their website and social media presence. How are they branding themselves? What type of content are they sharing? Which platforms are they using? Take note of their strategies and brainstorm ways to improve upon them.

Create a Stand-Out Portfolio

By now, you should have a good understanding of your niche, potential clients, and competition. With that knowledge, it’s time to start creating your portfolio.

Your portfolio is essentially a collection of your best work that you can show to potential clients. It’s important to remember that your portfolio should be tailored to your target audience. In other words, don’t include blog posts that are unrelated to the type of clients you want to attract.

If you’re not sure where to start, then I would recommend creating a portfolio website. This is a great way to showcase your work and make it easy for potential clients to find. If you don’t have any previous work to show, then consider writing some sample blog posts. You can also include any other relevant writing samples, such as articles, whitepapers, eBooks, etc.

Another great way to make your portfolio stand out is by adding testimonials or reviews from past clients. If you don’t have any testimonials yet, don’t be afraid to ask your clients to write something nice about you.

Finally, don’t forget to include your contact information (email, phone number, etc.) so potential clients can easily get in touch with you without having to search for it.

You don’t even need to be a professional web developer to create a portfolio website with WordPress. Especially if you’ve been already blogging on that platform for a while, it’ll just take you an hour or so to set up a simple website that looks great and is easy to navigate, and you’re ready for the next steps!

Develop an Appealing Pitch

Creating an appealing pitch is one of the most important steps to becoming a successful freelance blogger. Your pitch is what will sell your services to potential clients and convince them to hire you over other freelancers. Ideally, your pitch should be tailored to each individual client. In other words, don’t just copy and paste the same pitch to every client.

There are a few key elements that every great pitch should have:

• First, you need to grab the client’s attention by offering something unique that they can’t find anywhere else. This could be a special skill or perspective that you have or a guarantee that you’ll get the job done faster/better/cheaper than anyone else.
• Second, you need to show them that you understand their needs and requirements. This is where your research comes in handy. By showing that you understand their business and their target audience, you’ll be much more likely to get hired than someone who doesn’t bother to do their homework.
• Third, you need to show them that you’re the best person for the job by highlighting your relevant experience and skills. If you don’t have much experience, then focus on your unique perspective or skillset.
• Finally, you need to close the deal by providing them with a call-to-action (CTA). This could be something as simple as asking for the job or offering a free consultation.

The best way to create an appealing pitch is to focus on the client’s needs and what you can do to help them, rather than just listing your qualifications. Why? It’s simple, clients don’t care about your qualifications, they only care about what you can do for them.

Follow Up With Potential Clients

After you’ve sent out your pitches, it’s important to follow up with potential clients. This shows that you’re interested in the job and that you’re willing to put in the extra effort to get it. A quick email or phone call can go a long way in getting your foot in the door with a new client. However, if you don’t hear back from someone after a reasonable amount of time, move on to another pitch or another blog on your list—don’t keep bugging them, it’ll just make you look desperate.

Start Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a great way to get your name out there and build up your portfolio. Not only will guest blogging give you some much-needed exposure, but it will also show potential clients that you’re a serious writer—even when guest blogging may not pay the bills.

Of course, nobody can work and should work for free, and it actually should be made illegal! But if you’re just starting out, it’s important to remember that you need to build up your portfolio before you can start charging top dollar for your services. Once you’ve guest blogged a few times and have built up a solid portfolio, then you can start pitching paid guest blogging opportunities.

Promote Your Work

As a freelance writer, it’s also important to promote your work and build up your online presence. Start by setting up a WordPress or Behance website where you can showcase your writing samples and connect with potential clients. Social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, is also a great way to spread the word about your work and attract new readers or followers.

It’s really difficult to get work as a freelance writer if nobody knows who you are or what you do. By promoting your work and building up an online presence, you’ll be much more likely to attract new clients and get hired for writing jobs.

If you already have readers on your site, consider using email marketing to send out a newsletter or promote your services. You can also use this platform to offer discounts or freebies to attract new clients.

Finally, don’t forget to network! Attend local meetups or online events related to writing, blogging, or social media. Not only will you make some great connections, but you’ll also get the chance to show off your work and attract new clients.

Be Professional

Once you start working with clients, it’s important to maintain a professional relationship with them. This means meeting deadlines, being responsive to their requests or edits, and generally just being easy to work with. The better reputation you have as a freelancer, the more work you’ll be able to get down the road.

In the world of freelance blogging (or basically any other business), word-of-mouth is everything. A positive review or referral from a happy client can do wonders for your business. On the flip side, a bad review can quickly turn away potential clients. That’s why it’s so important to always deliver quality work and treat your clients with respect—even if they don’t always treat you the same way.

Anger or frustration can maybe help you feel better at that time (I mean, hell yeah, the feeling of yelling in the face of that person who just doesn’t understand anything), but it won’t do any good for your business in the long run. Professionalism is key if you want to build a long-lasting career as a freelance blogger.

Conclusion

When I started my freelance travel blogging gigs two years ago, I had no idea what I was doing. But through a lot of trial and error (and some late nights), I’ve finally figured out what it takes to be a successful freelance blogger.

If you’re thinking about becoming a freelance blogger, I hope this guide has helped you understand what it takes to get started and be successful in this career. It’s not always easy, but it’s definitely worth it.

Do you have any other tips for aspiring freelance bloggers? Share them in the comments below! And if you liked this post, please share it with your friends or on social media! Thanks for reading!